EXTENDED DEADLINE for Abstract: 17th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy

Call for Papers

for the

17th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy

 

‘Political Economy vs Economics in a turbulent multipolar world

 

2-4 August 2024, Panteion University, Athens, Greece

 

EXTENDED DEADLINE for Abstract submission: 31 May 2024

 

 

The 17^th WAPE Forum will be held 2-4 August 2024 at Panteion University, Athens, Greece. It is co-organised by WAPE (World Association of Political Economy - http://www.wapeweb.org/) and GAPE (Greek Association of Political Economy - https://politicaleconomy.gr/main/en ) and hosted by the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (https://www.panteion.gr/en/).

The broad theme of the conference focuses on the long-standing controversy between the two main alternative traditions in economic analysis: Political Economy and Economics. Economics (with their individualistic, non-social view of the economy) have historically failed to grasp how economies work and forecast and why, how and when economic crises occur. On the other hand, Political Economy and especially its Marxist variant (proposing a social and historical understanding of the economy, linking economic analysis to social and political factors and to class struggle) has been far more successful in comprehending the actual workings of the economy and in analyzing economic crises. Economics’ shortcomings have become even more pronounced as the 21^st century ushered a period of global political and economic turbulence (economic crises erupt with an increasing frequency, geopolitical conflicts multiply and take increasingly violent forms) which they continue to fail to understand. Nevertheless, their dominance of academia and policy-making centers, especially in the West, continues uninterrupted because of their classless approach and their unbashful support for the capitalist system. The small cosmetic changes from Neoliberalism to neoconservative New Keynesianism do not amount to a serious change of perspective and continue to misapprehend the real modus operandi of contemporary societies and their economies. Nevertheless, there is growing unrest within both the academia and the society with this failed dominance. Political Economy is the main approach towards which all those dissatisfied with Economics turn.

This conference aims to juxtapose Political Economy and Economics and contrast their positions on the various fields and areas of economic analysis. In particular, it aims to attract towards Political Economy the dissatisfaction with Economics of a growing mass of scientists and students. In this vein and within its broad theme, WAPE 2024 invites all contributions that enrich the perspective of Political Economy.

Indicatively but not exclusively, proposed papers can touch upon the following issues:

1. Contemporary controversies in Macroeconomics between Neoclassicism, Keynesianism and Marxism:

• Neoliberalism, New Keynesianism and the New Macroeconomic Consensus
• Marxism and macro-economic modelling

2. Curriculum reform in Economics: How Political Economy can challenge Economics’ dominance of university curricula.
3. History of Political Economy
4. Economic History
5. Theory of stages and periodization of capitalism
6. Theories and analyses of economic crisis
7. Profitability, crises and economic cycles
8. Race, class and gender
9. Methodology of economic analysis
10. Trends and challenges in contemporary economic policy:

• Neoconservative economic policies
• Economic planning, fiscal and monetary policies reconsidered
• A return of industrial policy?
• Noönomy and contemporary Russian contribution to the economic policy debate
• Modernization theory and the Chinese contribution

11. Marxism and the Political Economy of money and finance:

• Contemporary capitalism and transformations of the financial system
• Fictitious capital and the contemporary changes in the production-circulation nexus
• Central banking in contemporary capitalism
• US hegemony and de-dollarisation
• The political economy of crypto-currencie

12. Labour process, markets and the Political Economy of Work

• Labour movement and Trade Unions
• Exploitation, flexibility of labor and unemployment
• The current state of Labour Process Theory
• Automation, AI and their impact on unemployment, income distribution and the economic cycles
• Platforms, casualization of labour and the contemporary workplace

13. The Political Economy of Social Policy

• Austerity and the welfare system
• Poverty and inequality
• The pensions system and its neoconservative reforms

14. The Political Economy of education:

• Commodification of education
• Class barriers and education
• Student debt
• The entrepreneurial university

15. The Political Economy of Health Policies:

• Inequalities and class barriers in health provision
• The new emerging epidemics and the experience of the COVID-19
• Public vs private healthcare sectors

16. Environmental Political Economy:

• Climate change and class struggle
• Capitalism’s metabolic rift
• Imperialist and geopolitical conflicts and the climate

17. Urban and regional Political Economy:

• The city-countryside contradiction in contemporary capitalism
• Labour geographies

18. Law and Political Economy
19. Geopolitical Economy: globalization or imperialism? Development or war?'

• International conflicts and imperialism
• The retreat of US hegemony and the emergence of a multi-polar world system
• The Political Economy of capital flows
• BRICS, the newly emerging economies and the world economy
• Global value chains and transnational corporations
• Political Economy of foreign direct investment (FDI)
• International Political Economy

20. Political Economy of European integration:

• Is the Eurozone crisis over?
• European Union: from aspiring to become the new economic superpower falling behind?
• Divisions and conflicts within the European integration – euro-centre versus euro-periphery in the 21^st century

21. Development studies at an impasse

• The developmental state after the Post-Washington Consensus
• Role and policies of international organizations (IMF, WB, WHO, UNHCR, UN etc.)
• Development and underdevelopment in the 21^st century

22. Country case studies

On these, but also on other subjects, WAPE encourages the formation of work groups that continue to co-operate beyond the period of the conference. WAPE will support these workgroups by hosting them on its webpages and promoting their work. Currently, the following work groups have issued mini-calls for the 17^th WAPE Forum (see WAPE 2024 webpage https://politicaleconomy.gr/main/el/node/269 ):

• Geopolitical economy
• Marxist Macroeconomic modelling
• Political Economy of inequality and social policy

WAPE also encourages the proposal of a series of panels on subjects within the broad scope of the conference. Colleagues or groups that are interested in organizing such panels should contact the Organisation Committee directly (via wape2024@panteion.gr ).

Additionally, the 17^th WAPE Forum will include a Young Scholars’ Section. Ongoing PhD students can apply to present mature parts of their work within this section. The rate for students (50 euros) applies in the case of the Young Scholars’ Section.

 

Official Language: The official language of the Forum is English.

Publication Possibilities: All accepted and submitted papers will be published as an e-book with ISBN. Best papers will be considered for publication in the World Review of Political Economy (http://www.plutojournals.com/wrpe/) and the International Critical Thought (https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rict20) after passing the peer refereeing process.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Send a paper abstract (500 words) and your full curriculum vitae in English to WAPE2024@panteion.gr by 31 May 2024. Acceptance letters and instructions for registration will be sent out by 7 June 2024. The structure and the schedule of registration fees are detailed below. Full papers must be submitted by 1 July 2024.

You are also welcome to propose other topics on the theme.

There is also the option to apply to attend the forum without presenting a paper. In that case, you will be sent an invitation letter for visa purposes etc. upon registration and payment of registration fees.

 

Important dates

• Deadline for abstract proposals: 31 May 2024
• Notice of acceptance: 7 June 2024
• Deadline for full paper: 1 July 2024

 

Registration fees

• 140 euros: for online payment before 10 June 2024
• 170 euros: for online payment before 20 July 2024
• 200 euros: for online payment after 20 July 2024 or on-site payment
• 50 euros: reduced rate for unemployed, retired and students for online payment before 10 June 2024

Additionally, a WAPE membership fee is required. Payment of the membership fee should be made together with the registration fee.

• Standard Membership is 27 euros. Standard members receive free digital copies of the organization’s peer reviewed academic journal, World Review of Political Economy (WRPE), which is published four times a year. Selected articles are published on WAPE’s websites. They have opportunities for translating and publishing selected books and articles in China and for invitations to a variety of conferences in various countries and lecture tours in China.
• Council Membership is 92 euros. Council Members have priority over all the benefits offered by WAPE for Standard Members. They get both free digital copies and hard copies of the World Review of Political Economy (WRPE). Council Members are required to submit one paper to or call for one paper for WRPE, and review one paper for WRPE per year.
• Low-income Membership is a discretionary rate of 9 euros for students, unemployed people, and part-time workers on reduced income.

WAPE. The World Association for Political Economy, registered in Paris, is an international academic organization founded by Marxist economists and related groups around the world. The mission of WAPE is to utilize modern Marxist economics to analyze and study the world economy, reveal its laws of development, and offer policies to promote economic and social progress on the national and global levels. WAPE has held its annual forums in many countries. Participants in past WAPE forums have come from more than 60 countries across Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America.

WRPE. The World Review of Political Economy is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal of Marxist Political Economy sponsored by WAPE and published by Pluto Journals. For more information including types of submissions that will be considered, please go to http://www.plutojournals.com/wrpe/.

 

Accomodation

Information about accommodation (hotels offering special rates for WAPE 2024) is available in WAPE 2024 webpage (https://politicaleconomy.gr/main/el/node/269 ).

 

WAPE Awards:

• The Distinguished Achievement Award of World Political Economy of the 21st Century, established by WAPE, has been granted annually since 2009 to recognize outstanding books and articles in political economy published since 2001. It is intended to promote research of modern political economy around the world by granting this award to those who have made important innovations in the theories or methodology of political economy.
• The Marxian Economics Award, established by WAPE in 2011, is given to recognize an outstanding lifetime record of achievement in political economy. Its purpose is to promote the development of research of Marxist economics around the world by granting this award to those who have made important innovations in the research of theories, methodology, and application of Marxist economics.